Chapter 254: Missed Appointment
“Such speed!”
Kitabatake Tomonori stood atop Anno Castle, watching the thick smoke from a distant rock fortress gradually dissipate. Estimating that the defenders there were likely doomed, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Anno Castle, as the core stronghold of the Kitabatake family, had been developed for over a hundred years. Its defensive system naturally wasn’t just a bare main castle; it had several branch castles, and numerous rock fortresses guarding crucial routes and strategic points.
However, none of these had caused the Wanjin Army much trouble. In just six days, the Wanjin Army had not only forced their way across the river but also cleared out all the rock fortresses along the river and at the entrance to the river plain.
Now, the Wanjin Army could directly attack the castle without hindrance, and in a sense, they had trapped the main Kitabatake forces within the city.
Well, not surrounded. Anno Castle was bordered by water on two sides, making a complete encirclement impossible. However, both land escape routes were controlled by the Wanjin Army. The Kitabatake forces inside could only escape by crossing the river. If they attempted to cross, it would likely result in a tragedy similar to the “Tiger of Owari’s” campaign in Mino. Thousands would drown in the crush of people trying to cross, and those who made it across would be scattered, easy prey for pursuit.
“My Lord, do not worry!” Hirado Tōbei, seeing Kitabatake Tomonori’s dejected mood, tried to console him. “The loss of the outer rock fortresses was within our expectations. Our focus for holding the castle has always been Anno Castle itself. As long as the two mutually supporting branch fortresses, Watamoto and Hirayama, remain unbreached, we will remain as stable as a mountain.”
As the core stronghold of the Kitabatake family, Anno Castle had naturally received significant attention in its defenses. Each generation of family head had overseen expansions and reinforcements. Two large rock fortresses were built on high ground outside the castle, their scale even larger and sturdier than the residences of typical local lords. Together with Anno Castle itself, they formed a triangular formation, allowing for mutual support and cover. Without sacrificing a large number of lives, the Wanjin Army might not even reach Anno Castle’s first city wall.
In fact, the reason the outer rock fortresses weren’t immediately abandoned was to achieve a better exchange ratio, thereby reducing the pressure on Anno Castle itself.
And it had been successful. Even with the Wanjin Army’s formidable firepower for this era, facing an enemy that occupied advantageous terrain and possessed sturdy cover, engaging in ranged combat with matchlock guns against the enemy’s bows and arrows, rolling stones, and ramming logs, they struggled to gain an advantage. Ultimately, infantry charges were still required.
Even “black technologies” like cannonballs and rocket projectiles were consumed in large quantities, yet casualties were still slightly higher than the Kitabatake family’s. In a sense, the Kitabatake family had achieved their objective. The Kitabatake family didn’t want to fight, but Yuan Ye insisted on fighting and wouldn’t even meet their envoy. Now, the Kitabatake family could only hope that Yuan Ye couldn’t bear the casualties and would retreat on his own.
This was a common warfare situation in the Japanese Medieval Period. The defending side had a natural advantage. Even if the enemy was stronger and could achieve a favorable exchange ratio, they could continue to trade until the attacker’s heart ached and they could no longer sustain it.
Kitabatake Tomonori, having fought many battles, naturally understood these points and had great confidence in Anno Castle’s defenses. After nodding gently, he turned to other matters. “Have all the people outside the city been brought in?”
“All able-bodied men have been brought in and are mostly organized, ready for deployment at any time.”
Kitabatake Tomonori nodded again, but with lingering concern, he added, “Make sure the granary is well-guarded!”
“My Lord, rest assured. Lord Sado is personally leading the guards. As long as we use our supplies sparingly, we can hold out for a year.”
Hirado Tōbei replied with confidence. The reason commoners lacked food was that the Kitabatake family had requisitioned all the grain. Therefore, the Kitabatake family naturally wouldn’t lack food. In fact, the requisitioned grain was precisely for this situation, intended to starve the enemy out. Even Yuan Ye, that parvenu, would be no exception.
Indeed, Wanjin had occupied dozens of villages and needed to provide basic winter provisions for tens of thousands of people, all of which had to be transported by ship from across the sea. The expenses must be enormous. It was possible Yuan Ye had even emptied his coffers. He didn’t believe Wanjin could last a year under such circumstances.
Therefore, the Wanjin Army couldn’t starve Anno Castle into submission. The city had provisions, and it was built by the river, so freshwater could be obtained by digging. As long as they could withstand the Wanjin Army’s next fierce assault and prevent a swift victory, they would be fine.
Given Anno Castle’s defensive system, with a similar number of troops, even if the Wanjin people were fierce, it would still cost them over a thousand casualties to breach the two branch castles and Anno Castle’s first city wall. Further street fighting and sieges of even more fortified residences would require no less than a thousand lives to threaten them.
He didn’t believe Yuan Ye would be willing to sacrifice so many lives for a mutual destruction with the Kitabatake family. Even if he was currently deluded and blindly arrogant, after his hard-earned subordinates suffered heavy losses, he would surely come to his senses.
“Also, be mindful of rat infestations!”
From the city wall, Kitabatake Tomonori could see a large group of rats openly scurrying out and disappearing into the shadows, completely unafraid of people. It felt like this year was truly cursed, with all sorts of demons and monsters appearing. The Kitabatake family was truly facing a period of bad luck.
Hirado Tōbei also frowned and turned to instruct his subordinates to focus on exterminating rats. However, a minor rat infestation wouldn’t shake Anno Castle, so he didn’t take it too seriously. After giving the order, he accompanied Kitabatake Tomonori on his patrol, boosting morale.
Now, they just had to wait for the Wanjin Army to charge headfirst and break their skulls, letting them know the depth of the Kitabatake family’s foundation, forcing him to negotiate!
…………
“Do you want some? Take a bite first!”
A Man, who used to be a wild child and was now a wild young girl, was always unrestrained. With nothing to do at the “headquarters”—the Wanjin Army was becoming increasingly professional, and Yuan Ye had forbidden her from interfering in military command—she had started roasting field mice out of boredom.
The power of the bamboo flowering had become evident. The bamboo rice had bred a large population of rats and field mice. Now that the bamboo rice was gone, these small animals were starving and began to swarm into human territory. It could no longer be called stealing food; it was outright robbery, with groups of them pouncing on supply carts.
This was a battlefield oddity. Yuan Ye, while overseeing the front lines, also had to direct rat extermination efforts in the rear. The supply pressure was already immense, and if rats were allowed to steal and plunder a portion, he wouldn’t be able to cope.
Just as he was worrying, A Man, that unlucky child, brought a roasted field mouse to him. Yuan Ye immediately became furious, snatched it away, and threw it out, muttering, “Didn’t I tell you to bury and disinfect these things after catching them? Are your ears on your backside? Do you want me to punish you before you’re happy?!”
It was only because it was A Man; anyone else would have had the military police arrest them on the spot.
“That’s a field mouse, it’s edible. A Qing and I ate them often before, and nothing happened. You’re always afraid of this and that,” A Man said regretfully as the roasted field mouse flew away. However, she didn’t dwell on it. She was just reminiscing; she wasn’t lacking meat to eat herself.
“Field mice are not allowed either. For this period, anything with fur is forbidden!”
The main concern was the fear of an epidemic. Although no signs had been found yet, it was necessary to be cautious. Otherwise, if they didn’t lose the war but succumbed to an epidemic, it would be a complete joke.
“Fine, fine, you’re the boss, you have the final say. I won’t roast them anymore!” A Man relented. She had originally wanted to improve Yuan Ye’s diet since he ate military rations every day, but since he didn’t appreciate it, so be it. He deserved to have a bland diet.
She then asked with concern, “Any news from Suzugamine County? Has the plan gone wrong?”
There was no radio in this era, and once forces were dispatched, it was like letting them go. The mixed brigade of over a thousand men sent to sneak attack Okōchi Castle in Suzugamine County had not sent any news back, as if they had disappeared. It was enough to make one suspect something had happened.
Yuan Ye casually wrote a written order, amending a previous one, to instruct the rear to also stop eating field mice. Modern people no longer ate field mice, but in this era, field mice were indeed part of the commoners’ diet, as A Man’s actions showed. It was likely that the laborers in the rear were feasting on them!
After amending the order, he put down his brush and pondered. “Perhaps they encountered an unexpected situation in Suzugamine County. However, there is no other option now. We can only trust that they can handle it themselves.”
“Could it be… they’ve already been defeated?” A Man asked worriedly. The Wanjin Army was her means of enjoying life, and she genuinely didn’t want the Wanjin Army to suffer heavy casualties.
“The possibility of defeat is slim. If they were defeated, someone would have retreated by now,” Yuan Ye said, standing up and pacing around the low table. “However, we haven’t received much news from Suzugamine County since the fighting began. The Kitabatake family’s rear being empty was just a speculation, and we’re not sure if the Kitabatake family has any reinforcements. Perhaps they simply discovered that the defense of Okōchi Castle is quite sufficient, and since they were lightly armed, they have been waiting for an opportunity.”
“So, we just keep waiting?” A Man hesitated. “If we don’t continue the attack, the other side will soon realize something is wrong, right? If they alert the rear… should we send someone to find them now and have them return to rendezvous for a frontal assault? It would be better than being trapped in Suzugamine County.”
Yuan Ye remained silent for a moment, then shook his head. “Let’s proceed according to the plan. When a general is in the field, they have the authority to disobey orders. We must give them the trust they deserve and let them make their own decisions. We shouldn’t interfere blindly from behind!”
He paused, then added, “However, we must also prepare for a frontal assault. Even if the plan fails, our strength is sufficient to compensate. A failed sneak attack will not change the overall situation!”
The battlefield situation is fluid. Initially, he held back and refused large-scale engagements, waiting for the “peasant uprising” on the Ise Peninsula. Delaying at that time was advantageous for him. But now that he was engaged in a direct confrontation with the Kitabatake family, he began to hope for a swift victory, to prevent the time from dragging on too long and allowing the surrounding daimyo to recover and interfere or seize his hard-won victory.
However, on the battlefield, plans often don’t keep up with changes. Information is never as transparent as in strategy games. There are too many unexpected events. It’s possible that despite great effort, a hard fight will still be unavoidable, and heavy casualties will be incurred.
If only there was an overhead view. Even with fog of war, where only one’s own troops could be seen, it would be fine. Unfortunately, real-life warfare isn’t a game; there are no such conveniences.
Yuan Ye sighed inwardly. Thinking about the losses from a frontal assault, he felt the pressure increase and was somewhat disappointed in the sneak attack force, but he could still endure it.
…………
At the same time, north of Suzugamine County in Ise Province, in a valley about twenty miles from Okōchi Castle, the Wanjin Army’s sneak attack brigade of 1,400 men was hiding, gnawing on dry rations for four days.
Their landing was smooth. Transported by the Wanjin Navy, they had made a wide detour far out at sea to the northern end of Suzugamine County. Relying on their long-term strict training, they had waded ashore under the cover of darkness and marched south through the night. With three parts luck and seven parts skill, they had stealthily infiltrated this valley by dawn, undetected.
Then they received bad news: Okōchi Castle’s defenses were not weak. A reinforcement army from the Nagano family of North Ise had just arrived. The Nagano family, whose head had been adopted as a family head by Kitabatake Tomonori’s own son, had come to help. They hadn’t gone to the front lines but were stationed in a branch castle next to Okōchi Castle, helping the Kitabatake family stabilize the rear.
There weren’t many of them, only 1,500, but the Kitabatake family itself still had 800 elite followers in Okōchi Castle. With the castle to rely on for defense, and surrounded by vassal families of the Kitabatake family, a direct sneak attack to capture Okōchi Castle became unlikely; it would be difficult to take it in one go.
Therefore, the Wanjin Army’s sneak attack force was stalled here and unable to notify the rear for the time being. The Wanjin Navy, too conspicuous anchored at sea, had temporarily departed. Sending small units back by land carried high risks and a significant chance of exposure, so they could only hide here for now.
This delay had been severe. They didn’t even know how the fighting at Anno Castle’s front line was progressing. It was already a serious breach of schedule. Even with the Wanjin Army’s strict military discipline, someone finally couldn’t stand it and approached the unit’s commander, beginning to suspect him of cowardice and evasion.
The commander of this unit was Shi Pusa. He was still waiting for an opportunity to take Okōchi Castle in one fell swoop!
